Spring break art time

We are on spring break this week and the weather has already been crazy! Warm then cold then warm again. Wind, wind and more wind. Today is WINDY!

 

So we've decided to spend the day doing some artwork. Yahoo playing with a bit of clay.

 

Recognize these? They are plants from the Plants vs. Zombies game app. My boys love playing it, don't all boys like zombies? Hopefully I can convince Yip (it's cardboard so of course Yip built it) that they need to be painted and put in the 4-H fair this summer. 

 

 

Yap even tried his hand at making something from cardboard; Yip enjoyed being the "cardboard teacher" this morning. I can't say that Yap had any success...he made something from cardboard but he wasn't too happy about it. Sometimes I think poor Yap just hasn't found his niche yet. He's a Lego freak and he loves to read but those aren't qualities that shine easily in a tiny town where every one is sports obsessed.

I did get him to sit down and plan out a painting for his summer 4H project.

 



 

He loves all things military and war so he chose to draw out a German shepherd. Hopefully we'll get it painted before spring break is over.

 



 

I've been busy doing some of my own artwork today too. It's kind of hard to tell from the photo but I'm creating a giant stencil (3'x3') from laminated paper that I'm going to use on a red burlap aisle runner for a wedding. We'll see how it goes. The wedding isn't until October, which is good, because it may take me that long to get this to work!!

 

My proudest accomplishment of the day though was getting a belt on my Singer treadle sewing machine!! I stumbled onto a sewing store in Wichita over the weekend that services the treadle sewing machines at Wichita's Cowtown.

 

I've had this machine for over a year but with missing pieces. I'd really like to get it working. I was so excited about getting the belt that I totally forgot to look for a needle or the other missing pieces! But I made sure I grabbed their business card!!!

 

Today never warmed up or stopped blowing but I'm crossing my fingers that we'll have at least one nice day this week where we can get out and enjoy the short spring we are sure to have!

 

Fake Quilting with Woven Denim

I have always loved the looks of handmade quilts. Unfortunately I know that I'll never have the patience, or time, to sit down and piece together all those teeny tiny squares. But I've learned a quilting cheat...weaving.

I saw this idea on Pinterest and I thought it would be perfect for a table runner.

I don't think this one turned out very well, I like to think of it as a good practice one.

I save all my husbands and boys old blue jeans...the ones that are too far gone to send to Goodwill but still have some good wear in that denim. Some of them are down right disgusting but still usable. I cut a bunch of them into strips, about 1 1/2 inches wide. I laid them on a long white piece of cotton measuring roughly 14"x40". I decided to leave a bit of space between the strips but next time I'll butt them right up next to one another. With the strips being a bit apart the final weaving and sewing was a little crazy.

I sewed one end of the strips securely to the white bottom cloth. Then I weaved in three or four strips at a time, pinned them securely and then zig zagged across the width of the table runner.

After I finished weaving and sewing to the end I zigzagged the opposite direction, the length of my table runner. See how my squares didn't line up? Some look big and some look small...that's because I didn't have my first strips, the strips I weaved through, close enough together.

When I first began laying out my denim strips I purposely left extra white fabric around the outside. After I was through zigzagging the denim strips I turned up that white fabric to create a border.

Overall I'm fairly pleased with it but I want to make another one where the strips are closer together before I begin weaving and I think I'll use bias tape next time for a border.

I just love sewing with denim, though I never have enough on hand for all the projects I'd like to do with them. What about you? Do you have a favorite way to reuse old blue jeans?

4H Projects are done :)

We finished up the last of the 4H projects Saturday night (granola bars...yum!) and we are headed off today to put them into the fair. Yip and Yap graciously (yeah right) agreed to let me take photos of them with their projects. 


Without further ado.....

Dang, they did so well in the kitchen that I'll have to put them to work cooking more often! Granola bars...mmmm, chocolate and s'more! 

We have two art projects to put in this year. The boys made paper mache masks. Yap's is a knight's helmet and Yip's is Batman which is just the beginning of Halloween costumes. 

Clay piranhas they made at school. 

I was sooo proud of their sewing projects! First they painted some fabric and then sewed it up. Yap's is a simple pillow and he's holding a knitted belt over it that he also made. While Yip, well, he went all out and made a Captain America stuffed doll! He was super patient with sewing around every little corner and curve! 

Finally their circuit boards, thanks Grandma for sending the kits. 

4H Fair here we come! 

Marker Monday - Hammocks!!

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Late last summer I made hammocks for the kids to hang on a big pine tree in our front yard. They were such a hit! Last year I just used old bed sheets to make the hammocks, which was fine until a strong wind came blowing in the fall and ripped the sheets to shreds! 

This year I was much smarter! 

First, I bought about 7 1/2 yds of burlap from WalMart, altogether about $26. The burlap measured about 48" wide with selvage edges so no sewing there! I cut them each 88 inches long before I put in a 2" casing at each end which means all the hammocks are big enough for me to chill out in; last year I was a bit cramped. I'm typing this up swinging lazily bag and forth in a hammock right now as a matter of fact! 

Even if these burlap hammocks don't survive until next year I consider $26 and a couple hours of sewing a pretty good investment. 

Here are the instructions I've used to make up these hammocks. 

I especially like the Josephine knot diagram included with the directions. It's a simple and durable knot that is easy to untie when you need to take the hammocks down. 

I'm STILL trying to figure out a way to install hammocks permanently in the house and get rid of all the beds. LOL...hammocks are sooooo comfortable!! 

4H Sewing Projects

A few weeks ago Yip, Yap and I were filling out 4H enrollment forms and they were choosing which projects they wanted to complete this year. As we went through the projects, I'm trying to keep the number low. The boys chose archery, electric, fine arts, Exploring 4H (not sure what it is but it was for 7-9 year olds and I signed them up anyway.), foods and sewing. Unfortunately, no livestock projects. There just isn't a place for animals right now. 

Foods and Sewing?? I admit, my first thoughts were, "Those projects are for girls!" But considering I hated when the gender card was pulled on me growing up (I'm still mad at Dad because he wouldn't let me take a steer when I was 9! I was too small??? Nuh Uh!!!), I wasn't about to tell the boys they couldn't do those projects. No Gender Bias HERE! 

Foods isn't that big of a deal because they boys have worked in the kitchen with me before. But sewing? I cringed. I cringed mostly because I remember my 4H years and the weeks before fair when mom, my sisters and I desperately raced to finish our outfits before Fashion Revue. Fashion Revue was my childhood hell but I always participated because 1. if you sewed it, you were expected to model it and 2. I never realized I didn't have to do it.

Anyway, back to sewing with Yip and Yap. We started working on learning to sew this week. I know it's early to start but I have two to teach and I didn't know how long this might take. After some practice sewing straight lines on paper I figured we would make a very small pillow out of scraps I had laying around. 


And it has gone MUCH better than I expected it to! Yip and Yap have really paid attention and have been very careful...much more careful than I probably was when I started sewing. Ha, I know they go slower that's for sure! Mom always said I had a lead foot....still do. 


So far so good. They still need to stuff their little pillow and sew up the hole. 
Now we just need to do decide on a project we can make to take to the fair. My first year in 4-H, when I was 9, I had to make a drawstring skirt. But my boys are boys and there are no requirements (and no books either!) so we are needing some ideas. 


We really don't need another drawstring bag (we have a million). I was thinking of a plush doll pillow or a pillowcase. We might try a pair of elastic shorts or pants. Any other project ideas for very new sewers? 


(Okay, what is the plural of a sewing person? Sewers? Tunnels under town?? Eeewww!) 

Marker Monday - Scraps to Treasures

I recently joined a home-ec club in my county. I never thought I'd join a home-ec club and although most of the women in my club could be my mother or gr. mother, this group of women is a riot!

So last week our lesson was on using scrap fabric and turning it into something new rather than tossing it into the landfill. I sew but I don't quilt so my scraps usually get tossed. The lesson leader had tons of ideas but I'll just share two of my versions with her today.

Denim Pot Holders.

I was so happy she showed us these because my kitchen's potholders were in a sad state. Two layers of denim with three layers of flannel, or one of fleece, in the middle and you have a very insulating pot holder. Our lesson leader had nice edges turned under and topstitched. Not me, I'm in a hurry so I just zigzagged around the edge....works for me. But the HEART is what I was excited about. My former potholders were too small and I was always getting burned, but the heart shaped works great. It's just the right shape and size to keep my little fingers safe.

Our lesson leader also shared a website with us, Little Dresses for Africa, where you'll find a free pattern download to make some very simple sundresses; sizes 3-12. This is a non-profit group that provides dresses for girls in Africa. Dresses can be made quickly with very little fabric.

I downloaded the pattern and had two dresses (5/8 yd. each for size 3) whipped out in an hour, with Yahoo's help. Bias tape is used at the armholes (hard to see in the pics) and as a drawstring at the top which ties at the shoulders.


This one was actually made from a pillowcase (instructions for this on Little Dresses website also). Please don't pay any attention to those letters at the bottom. My iron on transfers and I had quite the go around for 20 minutes or so....the iron on transfers won. Good thing they were given to me; I'm not out any money!

Our home ec club is planning a sewing day where we'll be making up as many of these little dresses as we can. I'm really excited! What do you do with scraps?